Peebles Hydro is an early 20th century hotel and

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

resort in

Peebles Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...

, in the historic county of Peebles-shire in the

Scottish Borders The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...

. It is one of two hydropathic hotels left in Scotland, the other being

Crieff Hydro Crieff Hydro is a hotel in Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland. The purpose-built hotel opened in 1868 as the Crieff Hydropathic Establishment, and is locally known as the Hydro. It was founded in 1868 by Dr Thomas Henry Meikle, who had received treatm ...

Perthshire Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...

. The hotel opened in 1881, but burnt down and was rebuilt in 1907. It served as a hospital for injured service personnel during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

before reverting to hotel use. Peebles Hydro is a

category B listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

, and is still operated as a hotel.

History

Peebles Hydro was designed in 1878 by

John Starforth John Starforth (1822-1898) was an English-born architect and architectural author associated solely with work in Scotland, mainly working in Lothian, Dumfries & Galloway, and the Scottish Borders. Life He was born in the town of Aukland nea ...

. It opened by the Hydropathic Company in 1881 to provide water cures and

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and treatment. The term ...

remedies (pain-relief and treating illness) to guests. It was one of many such hotels built in Britain during the second half of the 19th century. It was near to two railway stations: Peebles West railway station of the

Caledonian Railway The Caledonian Railway (CR) was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century with the objective of forming a link between English railways and Glasgow. It progressively extended its network and reached Edinburgh an ...

, later

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...

, and Peebles East of the

North British Railway The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...

, later

London and North Eastern Railway The London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) was the second largest (after LMS) of the " Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain. It operated from 1 January 1923 until nationalisation on 1 January 1948. At th ...

. It began building in 1878. Work was completed early in 1881 at a cost of over £70,000. The architect was John Starforth (1828-1898), a pupil of

David Bryce David Bryce FRSE FRIBA RSA (3 April 1803 – 7 May 1876) was a Scottish architect. Life Bryce was born at 5 South College Street in Edinburgh, the son of David Bryce (1763–1816) a grocer with a successful side interest in buildi ...

. The Hydro burnt down in July 1905 and was rebuilt by 1907, a building designed by the architect James Miller of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, at a more moderate cost of £37,000 owing to the use of salvaged materials. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

it was turned into a hospital, the 23rd (Scottish) General Hospital T.A. with 1,200 beds. The cast of the 1970 film '' Tam-Lin'' including its star

Ava Gardner Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She first signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew critics' attention in 1946 with her perform ...

, and cast members

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

and Stephanie Beecham stayed in the hotel while filming on location at

Traquair House Traquair House, approximately 7 miles southeast of Peebles, is claimed to be the oldest continually inhabited house in Scotland. Whilst not strictly a castle, it is built in the style of a fortified mansion. It pre-dates the Scottish Baronial s ...

It was taken over by Crieff Hydro in February 2014.

Treatments and regime

When it first opened, the following baths and treatments were offered: Russian, Turkish, peat, Nauheim bath, Nauheim, aromatic, medicated, eucalyptus, rain, pine extract, spray, vapour, brine or sulphur baths. Many associated treatments were available: vibration-massage, the Oertel or Terrain cure, the sun and air bath, a nebular, Metchnikoff's sour milk treatment, the Johann Schroth diet, the grape cure, the Salisbury system, a high-protein weight loss diet using

Salisbury Steak Salisbury steak is a dish originating in the United States and made from a blend of ground beef and other ingredients and usually served with gravy or brown sauce. It is a version of Hamburg steak. Background Hamburg was a common embarkation ...

or the

Koumiss ''Kumis'' (also spelled ''kumiss'' or ''koumiss'' or ''kumys'', see other transliterations and cognate words below under terminology and etymology – otk, airag kk, қымыз, ''qymyz'') mn, айраг, ''ääryg'') is a fermented dairy p ...

cure. As at

there were outdoor recreations, from otter hunting to tennis, shooting, croquet and cycling, and a wide range of activities for inclement weather and the evenings. Guests were encouraged to bring their musical instruments.

References

External links

*
The Story of Peebles Hydro
* {{coord, 55.6526, -3.1772, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Hotels established in 1881 1881 establishments in Scotland Hotel spas James Miller buildings Category B listed buildings in the Scottish Borders Listed hotels in Scotland Buildings and structures completed in 1907 Peebles Hotels in the Scottish Borders